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Forbes, who counted the late Queen Mother among his friends, was awarded the Dilys Powell Award for outstanding contribution to cinema at the London Film Critics' Circle Awards in 2006.

Bryan Forbes and his bride actress Nanette Newman in 1955 (PA)

The director was born John Theobald Clarke in east London on 22 July 1926.

He made his screen acting debut in 1948 and appeared in a number of British films including An Inspector Calls (1954) and The Colditz Story (1955), before trying his hand at directing.

His career behind the camera began in 1961 with Whistle Down the Wind, and he went on to direct many more films including The Wrong Box and The Raging Moon (1971), starring his wife Nanette Newman.

Forbes often talked about his love of books, and found success as a novelist later in life, publishing The Soldier’s Story in 2012. He owned a bookshop for more than 30 years and amassed a collection of more than 10,000.